A villa host lists their property with a private pool and high security, the kind of luxury setup designed to catch attention. This is exactly what a high-profile NASCAR driver like Denny Hamlin would notice. And he did. Hamlin booked what he thought was the perfect house during the NASCAR Cup Series stop in Phoenix, only to find himself a victim of real-estate catfishing.

The entire ordeal started with Hamlin wanting to actually upgrade his stay. He admitted he had been downgrading his race-weekend stays over the last few years. So when he found a luxury-looking rental online, he didn’t hesitate. The place looked great, with a gated street and high-end photos. He also had confirmations in the app showing the stay was booked and paid for. But when Hamlin and his family arrived, something felt off. The house was completely dark.

Hamlin said on his , “Well, we get there, and it’s really dark. I’m checking my app, and it says booked, reserved, paid, and all that. It’s weird; I usually get check-in instructions by now, and I looked at my phone. ‘Hey, we’re here to check in. ‘Just nothing; the house is really dark. I hit the ring doorbell, camera, nothing.”

Then, finally, the door opened. Out came a couple, completely confused about strangers standing outside their residence.

Bizarrely, Hamlin wasn’t in the wrong either, because his app listed that very address. That’s when the truth became clear this was a fake listing. What further complicated matters was that the Hamlin family pre-ordered supplies for baby Jameson, and they arrived at the residence before them. The couple at the residence was actually debating giving the supplies away to their neighbors. There was some initial hostility, which later mellowed out when the children made an appearance.

Denny Hamlin admitted, “They were like, ‘Who are these kids coming in here?’ They think that they RBOed $500 for the week’s house. They’re like, ‘What did you pay for this?’ I told them, and they’re like, ‘Oh, okay.’ Well, you got scammed. ”

But being stranded was the last thing he wanted, and so he didn’t have time to dwell on it. A contact of his, Austin, helped him track down another rental nearby, and while Hamlin searched for a place to stay, his family headed out for pizza.

While the stay made for a strange race weekend memory, Hamlin now has his focus firmly set on getting his season back on track.

The JGR star is hoping to get his season on track at Las Vegas

With four races done and dusted, it has been the Tyler Reddick show, with him nabbing 3 wins in a row. Then last weekend, Ryan Blaney broke the streak when he triumphed at the Phoenix Raceway.

To be frank, Hamlin had a rough start to the season, crashing out at the Daytona 500, a race he had won several times in the past. Fortunately, his performances in subsequent races have been improving.

He finished 13th at the EchoPark Speedway, following that with a Top 10 at Circuit of the Americas. Finally, he clinched an excellent 5th-place finish at the Phoenix Raceway.

If this goes on, race wins will surely come in no time. The best part is that there are no more Playoffs or a ‘Win and you’re in’ system. The current championship format rewards consistency, so Denny Hamlin will be working on that.